Disabled man falls victim to callous thieves

Graham Moore with his dad. Graham was visiting Lancaster for the first time when he had his bag stolen from the back of his wheelchair by thieves who pretended to be Good Samaritans and then stole from him.

Published:12:14Thursday 07 December 2017

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Two men who helped a disabled man up after his wheelchair tipped over on a steep hill in Lancaster callously stole his belongings.

Even police said they were fuming after Graham Jackson Moore, 37, who is wheelchair bound due to motor neurone disease, was targeted by the men pretending to be Good Samaritans.

Graham said he was stranded in Lancaster after trains were cancelled to Preston and he couldn’t get on a coach, made his way to the bus station and was going down China Street, when his wheelchair tipped forward and he fell out on the floor.

He said two men suddenly appeared from nowhere and helped him up, but only a few seconds later, he realised they had stolen the bag from the back of his chair which contained his laptop, iPad and most importantly, the charger for his wheelchair.

Graham, from Lewisham, who creates animations for children’s charities and also does IT work, said: “I seemed to be going a bit quicker because the bag usually weighed my chair down a bit.

“I looked round and my bag had gone. The men were long gone too, they had headed back up the hill towards town.

“A police car came about three minutes later but they told me they didn’t have CCTV round that area.The police were fuming because they said I wasn’t in a position to fight back. I dislocated my shoulder in the fall but the main issue is my laptop, which hadanimations on the hard drive . I’ve had to order a charger from Ireland for my chair. It’s not so much the theftits all the extra stuff I need.

“I’m very independent, I don’t have a carer. I can’t walk or stand but I work independently. Psychologically this has ruined me, to steal from someone in a wheelchair is outrageous.” Grahamis still in hospital being treated but hopes to be discharged later this week.

He said: “This will have cost me £1500 to £2000 to replace the items stolen. It doesn’t give me the best impression of the area and this is the first time I had visited. When I fell from the chair I hit a nerve in my right arm and with my health condition there is no knowing whether it will improve.”

Graham said the theft happened on November 16 at 9pm on China Street.

Call police on 101 with any information.

A friend of Graham’s called Elle Brown who has set up a fundraising page for him, said: “My friend Graham has a neurodegenerative disorder and was recently robbed!

“Graham runs a non-profit charity in the UK. Every penny of any donation goes straight to him with no middle or cost. Visit https://www.gofundme.com/grahamwasrobbed to help.”